HWcase1

Q1 is in its own blog posting. Q2 is in class or on other peoples’ blogs. Q3 is in its own blog posting. (If late, email it instead.)*

Q1 (33  pts. maximum, 16.5 minimum) Prepare case notes on an ethics case related to intellectual property. An ethics case is an example, event, experience, legal case, medical case, and so on from real life, a movie, your imagination, and so on, which has some ethics related aspects to consider. You are encouraged but not required to pick a case related to ChatGPT and other modern AIs that output text or images. Just do a web search using a query similar to

generative AI ethical issues

The term “generative” here refers to AI systems like ChatGPT that generate stuff (text, images, whatever). If you leave the term out, the search will return a lot of ethical issues related to other kinds of AI like smart weapons, robots and other things.

Post your notes to your blog. Your notes should include the following.

• A link or other citation to the case you are using, or if it is from personal experience, point that out.
• A list of 5 or more important facts about the case in your own words. These will tell the reader enough about the case to be able to address the questions you will suggest (see bullet points below) for them to consider.
• A list of questions (3 or more) that could get an interesting and enlightening discussion going if you were in a discussion group, or that you would find interesting to consider. See the “Questions to ask during discussion” tab on the course web page for some suggestions in developing your discussion questions.

Hint: To find cases to discuss related to the theme of this unit, intellectual property, you could for example do a web search on:

ethics cases

or use news articles, personal experience, things you found on the web, on paper, etc. Professional neatness and clarity of format counts!

• Add the following three additional questions to your list of questions:
  • What does virtue ethics say about this case?
  • What does utilitarianism say about this case?
  • What does deontology say about this case?

• Make your blog post look like this example.

Q2 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min)

Option 1: Come to class for both case discussion days (2 of them per unit) and we will discuss your case and other students’ cases.

Option 2: Go to the blogs of some other students, find where they posted discussion questions as their answer to Q1 above, and comment. Add a comment on either a discussion questions, or on someone else’s comment on a discussion question. A total of six comments are specified, spread across anywhere from one to six students. It could be cool to get a thread going! One or more of your comments should concern virtue ethics, utilitarianism, or deontology. Here is a list of students’ blogs.

Important note: If you finish Q2 late, then email your answers instead of posting them as comments. Why? Because, after Q2 is due, we will go through all the blog posts and tabulate students’ comments. If you post a late comment after that, we won’t see it.

Options 1 and 2 Combined: Well, if you want to attend the first discussion day videoconference, but instead of attending the second day, comment on blogs instead, that can work too. In that case you need to email the instructor that you did it this way, so that you get credit for it in case the grader had already checked all the blogs for comments before you posted yours.

Q3 (34 pts. max, 17 min) Finally, write up your case on another posting to your blog with the following subheadings:

“The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.

“Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions and/or discussion. If the analysis is simple or obvious, then address each of the utilitarian ethics perspective, the deontological ethics perspective, and the virtue ethics perspective.

“My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. Three sentences of average length or more.

“Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. Three sentences of average length or more.

“Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future, and give your opinions about it. Three sentences of average length or more.

Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Make a blog post that looks like this example.

*Late assignments must be emailed directly to the instructor, because if we checked your blog and it was missing we probably wouldn’t check it again.

HWcase2

Updated 2/6/24

Due dates:

• Tu 2/13: HWcase2 question 1 due*
• Tu 2/13: HWcase2 question 2 due*
• Tu 2/20: HWcase2 question 3 due*

Avoid putting two questions in one blog post. Put them in separate postings. (If late, email it instead.)*

Q1 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min) Prepare case notes on an ethics case related to ethics in the workplace. (A case about moral injury is an option you could consider.) An ethics case is an example, event, experience, legal case, medical case, and so on from real life, a movie, your imagination, and so on, which has some ethics related aspects to consider. Post your notes to your blog. Your notes should include the following.

• A link or other citation to the case you are using, or if it is from personal experience, point that out.
• A list of 8 or more important facts about the case, in your own words.These will tell the reader enough about the case to be able to address the questions you will suggest (see bullet points below) for them to consider.
• A list of questions (3 or more) you could ask your group members in order to get an interesting and enlightening discussion going (for in-class students), or that you could consider yourself or ask someone else about (for online students); see the “Questions to ask during discussion” tab on the course web page for some suggestions in developing your discussion questions.
• A 4th discussion question about how computer security relates to or could relate to the case. The computer security question could be about hacking, viruses or worms, theft of information, piracy, abuse of privileges, destruction of assets, information privacy, disruption of operations, unauthorized access, corporate abuse of information or computing, government abuse of information, physical harm, or any other issue in the general area of computer security.

Hint: For your case for this unit, one option you have is to look for a case involving moral injury. Some types of work can cause that type of injury. Military work can cause this. It can happen in health care as well. Whatever case you decide on, you can use news articles, personal experience, things you found on the web, on paper, etc.

• Add the following three additional questions to your list of questions:
  • What does virtue ethics say about this case?
  • What does utilitarianism say about this case?
  • What does deontology say about this case?

• Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Make your blog post look like this example.

Q2 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min)

Option 1: Come to class for both case discussion days (2 of them per unit) and we will discuss your case and other students’ cases.

Option 2: Go to the blogs of some other students, find where they posted discussion questions as their answer to Q1 above, and comment. Add a comment on either a discussion questions, or on someone else’s comment on a discussion question. A total of six comments are specified, spread across anywhere from one to six students. It could be cool to get a thread going! One or more of your comments should concern virtue ethics, utilitarianism, or deontology. Here is a list of students’ blogs.

Important note: If you finish Q2 late, then email your answers instead of posting them as comments. Why? Because, after Q2 is due, we will go through all the blog posts and tabulate students’ comments. If you post a late comment after that, we won’t see it.

Options 1 and 2 Combined: Well, if you want to attend the first discussion day videoconference, but instead of attending the second day, comment on blogs instead, that can work too. In that case you need to email the instructor that you did it this way, so that you get credit for it in case the grader had already checked all the blogs for comments before you posted yours.

Q3 (34 pts. max, 17 min) Finally, write up your case on another posting to your blog with the following subheadings:

• “The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.
• “Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions and/or discussion. If the analysis is simple or obvious, then address each of the utilitarian ethics perspective, the deontological ethics perspective, and the virtue ethics perspective.
• “Conclusions.” Your analysis, opinions, and conclusions about the case. Any opinions from your discussion group members that you disagree with and why. Three sentences of average length or more.
• “Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way. Three sentences of average length or more.
• “Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future, and give your opinions about it. Three sentences of average length or more.

Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Make your blog post look like this example.

*Late assignments must be emailed directly to the instructor, because if we checked your blog and it was missing we probably wouldn’t check it again.

HWcase4

Updated 3/5/24

Due dates:

• Tu 3/12/24 by class time: HWcase4 question 1 due*
• Tu 3/12/24: HWcase4 question 2 due*
• 3/16/24-3/24/24: Spring Break
• Tu 3/26/24: HWcase4 question 3 due*

Avoid putting two questions in one blog post. Put them in separate postings. (If late, email it instead.)*

Note: In this HW, your case should be an actual code of ethics that you find on the web or somewhere else.

Q1 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min) Prepare notes on a code of ethics (which will be your case study for this HW).

Online students: post your notes to your blog. Your notes should include the following.

• A link or other citation to the case you are using, or if it is from personal experience, point that out.
• A list of 8 or more important facts about the case, in your own words. These will tell the reader enough about the case to be able to address the questions you will suggest (see bullet points below) for them to consider.
• A list of questions (3 or more) you could ask your group members in order to get an interesting and enlightening discussion going (for in-class students), or that you could consider yourself or ask someone else about (for online students); see the “Questions to ask during discussion” tab on the course web page for some suggestions in developing your discussion questions.
• A 4th discussion question about how computer security relates to or could relate to the case. The computer security question could be about hacking, viruses or worms, theft of information, piracy, abuse of privileges, destruction of assets, information privacy, disruption of operations, unauthorized access, corporate abuse of information or computing, government abuse of information, physical harm, or any other issue in the general area of computer security.

Note: Professional neatness and clarity of format counts!

• Add the following three additional questions to your list of questions:
  • What does virtue ethics say about this case?
  • What does utilitarianism say about this case?
  • What does deontology say about this case?

• Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Follow this example.

Q2 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min)

Option 1: Come to class for both case discussion days (2 of them per unit) and we will discuss your case and other students’ cases.

Option 2: Go to the blogs of some other students, find where they posted discussion questions as their answer to Q1 above, and comment. Add a comment on either a discussion questions, or on someone else’s comment on a discussion question. A total of six comments are specified, spread across anywhere from one to six students. It could be cool to get a thread going! One or more of your comments should concern virtue ethics, utilitarianism, or deontology. Here is a list of students’ blogs.

Important note: If you finish Q2 late, then email your answers instead of posting them as comments. Why? Because, after Q2 is due, we will go through all the blog posts and tabulate students’ comments. If you post a late comment after that, we won’t see it.

Options 1 and 2 Combined: Well, if you want to attend the first discussion day videoconference, but instead of attending the second day, comment on blogs instead, that can work too. In that case you need to email the instructor that you did it this way, so that you get credit for it in case the grader had already checked all the blogs for comments before you posted yours.

Q3 (34 pts. max, 17 min) Finally, write up your case on another posting to your blog with the following subheadings:

• “The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.
• “Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions and/or discussion. If the analysis is simple or obvious, then address each of the utilitarian ethics perspective, the deontological ethics perspective, and the virtue ethics perspective.
• “My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. Three sentences of average length or more.
• “Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. Three sentences of average length or more.
• “Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future, and give your opinions about it. Three sentences of average length or more.

Note: Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Follow this example.

*Late assignments must be emailed directly to the instructor, because if we checked your blog and it was missing we probably wouldn’t check it again.

HWcase5

Updated 3/26/24

Due dates:

• Tu 4/2/24: HWcase5 question 1 due by class time*
  • case suggestion: the Russian approach to sleazy rhetorical devices
• Tu 4/2/24: HWcase5 question 2 due*
• Tu 4/9/24: HWcase5 question 3 due*

Avoid putting two questions in one blog post. Put them in separate postings. (If late, email it instead.)*

Q1 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min) For this unit, find a case concerning a law, or use the law itself as your case, for a law related to security, privacy, etc. Suggestions: HIPAA, FERPA, Computer Security Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, COPPA, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), US Patriot Act, Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or some other law. If you just type the name into a search engine you should be able to find plenty of information. This should include

• a link or other citation to the case you are using. If it is from personal experience, point that out.
• A list of 8 or more important facts about the case, in your own words. These will tell the reader enough about the case to be able to address the questions you will suggest (see bullet points below) for them to consider.
• A list of questions (3 or more) you could ask your group members in order to get an interesting and enlightening discussion going (for in-class students), or that you could consider yourself or ask someone else about (for online students); see the “Questions to ask during discussion” tab on the course web page for some suggestions in developing your discussion questions.
• A 4th discussion question about how computer security relates to or could relate to the case. The computer security question could be about hacking, viruses or worms, theft of information, piracy, abuse of privileges, destruction of assets, information privacy, disruption of operations, unauthorized access, corporate abuse of information or computing, government abuse of information, physical harm, or any other issue in the general area of computer security.

Note: Professional neatness and clarity of format counts!

• Add the following three additional questions to your list of questions:
  • What does virtue ethics say about this case?
  • What does utilitarianism say about this case?
  • What does deontology say about this case?

• Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Follow this example.

Q2 (33 pts. max, 16.5 min)

Option 1: Come to class for both case discussion days (2 of them per unit) and we will discuss your case and other students’ cases.

Option 2: Go to the blogs of some other students, find where they posted discussion questions as their answer to Q1 above, and comment. Add a comment on either a discussion questions, or on someone else’s comment on a discussion question. A total of six comments are specified, spread across anywhere from one to six students. It could be cool to get a thread going! One or more of your comments should concern virtue ethics, utilitarianism, or deontology. Here is a list of students’ blogs.

Important note: If you finish Q2 late, then email your answers instead of posting them as comments. Why? Because, after Q2 is due, we will go through all the blog posts and tabulate students’ comments. If you post a late comment after that, we won’t see it.

Options 1 and 2 Combined: Well, if you want to attend the first discussion day videoconference, but instead of attending the second day, comment on blogs instead, that can work too. In that case you need to email the instructor that you did it this way, so that you get credit for it in case the grader had already checked all the blogs for comments before you posted yours.

Q3 (34 pts. max, 17 min) Finally, write up your case on another posting to your blog with the following subheadings:

• “The facts of the case.” Here is where you describe the case in your own words.
• “Analysis.” Examine the case in terms of the questions and/or discussion. If the analysis is simple or obvious, then address each of the utilitarian ethics perspective, the deontological ethics perspective, and the virtue ethics perspective.
• “My conclusions.” Your conclusions and opinions about the case. Be sure to explain and justify what you write. Three sentences of average length or more.
• “Future environment.” Describe your vision of a future in which technology is more advanced than today, or society has changed in some significant way, such that the ethical issues of the case would be even more important than they are in today’s world. Three sentences of average length or more.
• “Future scenario.” Describe how this ethical case (or an analogous one) would or should play out in the environment of the future, and give your opinions about it. Three sentences of average length or more.

Professional neatness and clarity of format counts! Follow this example.

*Late assignments must be emailed directly to the instructor, because if we checked your blog and it was missing we probably wouldn’t check it again.